Headlines from BBC's Radio 4 Today programme 6-6.28ish slot

 

Summary of the UK Newspapers

Guardian	PM uses his 1st PMQs to try and calm the bond markets ahead of his first budget. Green Party members support leader Polanski fighting by-election in seat vacated by Sir Keir Starmer.
I	PM may need to raise £15 billion in taxes to fund high borrowing costs.
The Times	Labour chairman of Defence Committee warns that vibes alone will not be enough to defend the UK. Some Labour party members press for Pro Palestinian/Gaza candidates in Sir Starmer’s ex seat.
Daily Mail	Conservatives pledge to reach the defence spend target by slashing welfare. Conservatives criticise what they describe as a massive new quango to reform the civil service.
Daily Telegraph	As Daily Mail on defence spending target.
Daily Express	PM’s ally Lord O’Neill calls for triple lock on pensions to be dropped. Paper describes this as hysterical.
The Sun	Extra French police to tackle small boats consists of what the paper says are just 45 do nothing cops.
Today’s newspaper headline buzz words	Calm, Hysterical, Massive, Pledge, Slashing, Warns.

 

Headline from the 06:19ish Business & Finance Slot

Yesterday 10 year government bond or gilt interest rate peaking at just over 5.29% at one point - so at levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis (source b). Q1) So what are investors looking for right now? (source b). A1) They expect inflation to be higher for longer due to inflated oil prices ($95 Brent crude a barrel), which has implications for interest rates being higher for longer, which has implications for government borrowing, company borrowing and consumer mortgages. Investors want to hear about the budget plans before the budget at the end of next month. They want to be assured that the books are going to be balanced.  And bond markets in all countries are concerned about the levels of borrowing compared to a country’s GDP. (source c)

Sources for the above– Headlines I picked from introductions, questions, answers and clarifications in the 06:00 to 06:28ish slot on the 3rd of September 2026 BBC Radio 4 Today programme from: a) main presenters Nick Robinson and Emma Barnett; b) Business & finance presenter Sean Farrington; c) Laura Lambie senior investment director at Rathbones.

2min 8sec sound clip - ballade of the bored #presenter by @malcolmguite

3min 31sec clip - Everything We've Ever Known About... The #Heart

#brexit or #ues2eu ? - "We believe in our own democracy. They see #Europe as the symbol of a liberal democracy"

Image from wikipedia

This posts title is a quote from @BBCRadio4 's "The Reunion" programme on the Maastricht Treaty

In that programme Sue MacGregor is joined Lord Lamont  a former chancellor, Ken Clarke who replaced him, the Government Whip responsible for Europe, David Davies, and Conservative backbencher Sir Bill Cash, a prominent Euro-rebel, as well as John Major's Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs and later the Official Historian on Britain's Relationship with Europe, Sir Stephen Wall.

At the 39:24 time mark in the programme David Davies says the following on the reasons why the UK is different from many of the other countries in the EU.....

"
- the Germans and Italians came into the original Iron & Steel community from a dictatorship,

- the Spainards came in from Franco,

- the Portuguese came in from Katana,

- the Greeks came in from the Colonels,

- Eastern Europe came in from under the jackboot of Soviet domination,

- We came in after 150 years of liberal democracy that worked quite well.

So our attitude to Europe is not the same as theirs.  

We believe in our own democracy.

They see Europe as the symbol of a liberal democracy.

Its a very different viewpoint."